CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A grandmother has been arrested on St. Thomas for “false imprisonment” and related charges after an infant child left the U.S. mainland without permission in a custody matter.
Barbara Francis, 66, of Charlotte Amalie, has been charged with false imprisonment and interference with custody after being arrested by a U.S. Marshal about 11 a.m. on Saturday, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
Francis, who said on Facebook she is a former dental assistant at the Schneider Regional Medical Center, was wanted in connection with an arrest warrant issued in Orlando, Florida, according to social media and police sources.
The U.S. Marshal contacted the Virgin Islands Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit once Francis was in custody here, according to the VIPD.
The U.S. Marshal also said that a one-month-old girl had been taken into protective custody as well.
The infant girl was taken into protective custody by a social worker from the V.I. Department of Human Services.
The VIPD placed Francis under arrest about 11:45 a.m. Saturday at the Criminal Investigation Bureau on St. Thomas per the Florida arrest warrant.
Ms. Francis was booked, processed, and turned over to the Bureau of Corrections pending an advice-of-rights hearing.
No bail was set as per the arrest warrant. Francis awaits extradition to Orlando, Florida.
